Sept. 7 letters to the editor

I was shocked by the coverage that was given politify.com in the Sept. 4 article "Personal election adviser for voters." The concept proposed is the brainchild of Nikita Bier and Jeremy Blalock, a student and former student of UC Berkeley.

Politify uses the president's 2013 budget proposal and Mitt Romney's plan for economic growth as input to their economic algorithm. The Senate has overwhelmingly rejected all the president's budgets and Romney's jobs plan is a work in progress.

Hence voters are being asked to "reward" with their vote, the candidate who can stretch or distort the truth the most.

For voters who are undecided, you may want to consider the following:

Microeconomic issues, unemployment rate, mean loss of income, gasoline prices, home value, deficits and the growing national debt. If you're satisfied with things as they are, President Barack Obama is your man.

Macroeconomics should also be considered, European socialism (Obama) or revitalized capitalism (Romney). Common sense, your wallet and your concern for the future of your children will make the decision easy.

Arthur Noeth

Fremont

Good reasons for U.S. 'devotion' to Israel

The author of a July 20 letter to the editor doesn't like the U.S. "devotion to Israel."

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There are good reasons why there has been a strong alliance between Israel and the U.S. for 64 years. Both countries are democracies with civil rights and a respected legal system.

They share the same values and ethics. Both have had discoveries that have benefited all people. They have shared and collaborated on military arms, defense against terrorism and humanitarian aid. The connection should and will continue.

Norman Licht

San Carlos

Merchants should keep streets clean

On Aug. 26, a group of parents from Lincoln School in Oakland held a fundraiser for the school. Our daughter was one of those parents.

This fundraiser took place in Chinatown where Lincoln is located. Before the parents were able to set up their canopies to sell their various items for the fundraiser, it was necessary to arrive early to clean up trash that littered the streets in Chinatown. Why was this cleanup necessary?

Are the merchants in Chinatown so blind to the trash that litters their streets? Does the city of Oakland not have an enforcement mechanism to keep streets clean?

A majority of parents who have children in school are working part or full time, and want the best for their children, which is an authentic concern.

Who is responsible for urging Chinatown merchants to keep their streets clean so that others don't have to pick up after them?

Iris Moran

Mountain View

Leaders should have worked with Obama

Republicans are launching a new, but used, campaign strategy. They are asking, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

Four years ago, at the beginning of September 2008, we had a Republican president who had been in office for eight years and had created a national mess the next president needed to handle. The country was in a total financial meltdown thanks to this Republican administration's guidance.

We elected a man who rolled up his sleeves and began dealing with the situation even before he was sworn into office, which was still two months away in January 2009.

Republican congressional leaders began plotting on his inauguration night how to stonewall any of President Barack Obama's proposed policies. Eight days into Obama's presidency, Mitt Romney was already declaring Obama's "failed policies" on Fox News.